If TMC opposes CAA, it will prove what the BJP has been saying: Shantanu Thakur.
New Delhi: Bongaon Lok Sabha MP, senior BJP leader and All India Matua Mahasabha Sanghadipati Shantanu Thakur spoke to The Sunday Guardian following the election results in West Bengal about the Citizenship Amendment Act-2019 and its future in West Bengal and about results of the recently concluded Assembly elections. Excerpts:
Q: You have been fighting for citizenship for the Matua community. The Union Home Ministry has announced the grant of citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, who have come in from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh in 13 districts across five states in India. Do you believe that CAA would be the next step and Bengal would be the next state?
A: This particular fact which you are talking about is based on the 1955 law on citizenship and its consequent amendment in 2009 and this is okay for these states. But for West Bengal, CAA would have to be implemented, the rules for which have still not been framed and, therefore, it is still not clear how it will be implemented in Bengal. But, let me tell you that the Home Minister Amit Shah has given his commitment regarding the implementation of CAA in Bengal and we are very hopeful that soon the rules for CAA would be framed, the process for which has been delayed due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation in India.
Moreover, please understand that it is the BJP government which for the first time has shown the resolve to pass CAA in parliament and, therefore, complete one of the biggest steps in the process.
Q: How are you so confident about its implementation in Bengal? The reason I ask is because the TMC has come back to power in Bengal, and they have time and again said that their government would not let it happen in the state. Without the state’s support, how is it going to be implemented?
A: It is true and I agree that the state government is a stakeholder in the implementation of the CAA. Having said that, if the TMC-led state government in Bengal comes in the way of the implementation of the CAA, it will expose itself (TMC) and prove what our party (BJP) has been saying about them. The TMC has always used the refugee community and the Matuas as a political entity for their vote bank and have never thought about their betterment and future. By stopping CAA, they will be exposed.
But having said this, I hope the Central government through its process, institutions and government organization, is able to implement the CAA for the people of Bengal.
Q: Are you satisfied with the way Matuas voted this time? What role do you think would the Matua community play in the coming days in shaping Bengal politics?
A: Matuas have overwhelmingly supported the BJP. Out of the 77 seats the BJP has got in the recently concluded Assembly elections, 44 of them have come from the Schedule Caste seats and if you look at these 44 seats, the Matuas played a prominent role in almost all the seats. The Matua community has whole-heartedly backed the BJP this time as they believe in the promises and vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and Union Home Minister Amit Shahji. They have seen and realised that it is only the BJP which is working for their upliftment and betterment. Both the Prime Minister and the Home minister have visited Thakurbari in Thakurnagar in Bengal and this shows their commitment towards our community.
Q: How satisfied are you with the result of this Assembly election?
A: Well, I would only say that we could have done much better and the party was expecting to do much better than what it has done this time. We are learning from our mistakes, and we will come out stronger. But you also have to see that the BJP in Bengal had just three seats in 2016 and from there going up to 77 is no small feat to achieve in five years. Just three years back, the BJP did not have much force on the ground, it was in fact considered as no force in Bengal. But then during the election campaign, you all have witnessed the immense love that people of Bengal have shown towards the party; it was overwhelming and phenomenal. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modiji and Home Minister Amit Shah has come to Bengal multiple times and it is their fan following and charisma that has pulled the BJP from three seats to 77 seats. I am sure that in the coming days, the party would come out to be the strongest opposition in Bengal.
Q: You represent the Bongaon Lok Sabha and the BJP has won 6 out of the 7 seats from here and your performance is being credited for this. What role do you see for yourself in the party in the coming days?
A: Not just only in my Lok Sabha seat, I was also given the additional responsibility of my neighbouring Ranaghat Lok Sabha, both of which are Matua dominated Lok Sabha seats and we (BJP) have won 12 out of the total 14 Assembly seats that fall under these two Lok Sabha seats and with a huge margin. Our win in these seats should be credited to the people of these two Lok Sabha, it was a collective win with the efforts of all our karyakartas who have worked day and night.
As far as my role in the party is concerned, I am a soldier of the party and whatever role the party gives me, I will try to work in that role dedicatedly like I always do. The party will decide where they see me; I will work for the party and for the people in whatever role is decided for me by the party.